Can-tester.



J. W. VORIS & C. E. HOVER.

CAN TESTER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3. 913- 1,144,081 Patented June 22, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

l. W. VORlS & C. E. HOVER.

CAN TESTER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3. 1913.

1,144,081 Patented June 22, 1915.

l 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES FA EN Minis w. vents Aivn CLYDE ii. novels, or ironwoon, one; sun novne issieiron or one-ms or run wnonn mam. 'IO OSCAR c. nor-rm, or CINCINNATI, OHIO. v

CAN-TESTER 7 1,144,081. I Specification of Letters Patent. I -Pa,ten1;ed J ne 22, 1915,

A lication filed October a, ma. Serial Io. 193,144.

To all whom it may concern: has not been thought necessary to illustrate Be it known that we,'JAMEs W.VR1s and it. There are shown four spokes 7 7, of .CLYDE E. HOVER, citizens of the United the wheel, although more could be used, or States, and residents of the city of Norless as desired. These spokes do not interwood, in the county of Hamilton and State fere with the vacuum: pipes which are ar- '6 of Ohio, have invented certain new and useranged radially in the wheel behind the V ful Improvements in Can-Testers, of which spokes. The vacuum pipes are of ,t 0 kinds, the followii'i is a full, clear, and exact deprimary ipes 8 and secondary, pip 9, one scripti'on, re erence being had to the iIGCOH I- of each, or each can receiver. The hub of m panying drawings, forming part of this the wheel rests with the weight of the wheel 5 specification. on the vacuum box, and since both ofjthem The object here is to provide a tester for are round a practically airtight contact is tin cans or the like, which will" select from maintained at all points, exceptat the flata lot of cans those which are not airtight te d portion 5 of the box. The tubes exand discardsuch cans at a certain point, ted through the hub, and the box has a while delivering the cans which are absoperipheral slot 10 to the seclutely sound at another point. This s ac-' oridary tube and a small slot 11 for the complished by providingv a rotating holder primary tube. Except at the flattened end to which the cans are fed, which receives the the secondary tube is thus constantly in 20. cans'in rotation, tests them by a partial communication with the vacuum. The privacuum, which releases the ones with air mary tube, however, communicates with the holes at one point and the sound ones at anvacuum at one point only. Thelocation; of other; and generally and s'ecifically bry the slot 11 determines this point and the that certain construction an arrangement vacuum is retained in the tube as hereinafter 25- of parts to be hereinafter particularly described by the airtight contact of the hub so pointed out and claimed. 2 w th the box 4. The tubes 8 and 9 extend In the drawings, Figure 1 s a front elevaradially to the of the wheel where they tion of the device showing e cans fed in 1011 and communicate witha 'assageway from the right hand side. Fig. 2 is a central 12 in the-run, from. the ack to the vertical section of the upper portion of the front of the wheel. At the front outlet of 5 device shown in Fig. 1. Fig; 3 is an enthe "passageway on the front face of the larged vertical section of the outer portion wheel is located the rubber disk 13 (Fig. 7), of the vacuum tubes showing the-- valves with a hole in it for the passageway'.. therein. Fig. 4 is a central section of the cated underneath on the face of wheel and vacuum box with the balance of the wheel is the semi-cylindrical holder ML the view in perspective. Fig. 5 is a top plan This construction is of course duplicated as view of the vacuum boxfig Fig. 6 is a rear ele-' many times as the circumference of the vation of a portion of the wheel. 7 is a wheel and of pa'rts will allow. The

perspective of one of the contact pieces for tin cans 16 to 'be tested are fed into the 4 the cans to bear against. Fig. 8 is a side holders 14, in this instance from an inclined 05 elevation of the device for pressing the cans chute 15. Thecans' 16 are so placed on' the on the contact pieces. 7 J V chute that their open ends lie' toward the 1 isthe pedestal or standard upon which front face of he wheel. They will of the achine is mounted, and 2. is the-hub course be picked ofl' the carrier,-one by one,

45 and the rim of the wheel which carries by the holders 142, and intlie absence of any and delivers the cans. As an axle for the means of attachment would fall out of the hub of the wheel, the vacuum box 4 is proholders. as soon as they pass? the top of vided, which is cylindrical in sha piex with a the wheel. The open end ofe o flattened portion 5 at one side. e air is ever, come oppositethe opening in the disk 50 exhausted from this box through the tube 13, and the suction from the vacilum cham- 106 6. The turning of the wheel, which is not her is designed to hold them in place, for to be donewit great rapidity, may be testing pu oses up against the disks. accomplished by a belt, gearing, hrank The smal slot ll in the vacuum box s handle-orany desired means. This feature located just beyond the corner of the flat 65 constitutes no part of the invention and it portion of the box. The tubes 8 and- 9 and no their passageways through the hub are so positioned that the primary tube reaches its slot 11 before the secondary tube 9 has passed the open space left by the flat side 5 of the box (Fig. 2). A standard 23 is provided which carries a segmental head 24 sliding in mortises in the head and regulated by the screw 25. The inner surface of the head has a rounded portion 26, and the parts are so arranged as to present the portion 26 to the front of the wheel rim 3, with the nearest point of its rounded surface at the proper distance to press the' cans as they leave the holders hardup against the disks 13 (Fig. 8). The box is so placed and its flat side so situated that just as a tin can is pressed against the disk 13, the primary tube of that holder will come into registration with the slot 11. The can 16 will then be sucked against the disk 13 and will remain there during a revolution of the wheel,

owing to the airtight connection of the hub with the vacuum box, although the primary tube is at once disconnected from the vacuum. As soon as the primary tube reaches the ailaspace left by the flat side 5, the can will of course be released. The chute 17 will then receive the can. This is what occurs if the can in question has no small leak of any kind. That is to say, a can which is delivered at 17 is a can tested and found to be without leaks. The suction line in the primary tube 8, before it reaches the can, as

as been said, goes through a passageway 12. This passageway is formed by an L-tube which also communicates with a valve chamber 19. The tube 9 enters this chamber at the opposite side to the tube 18, and a valve disk 20 in the chamber is located to seat in the inlet of either tube. On the face of this valve disk 20 are valve rods 21, 21, which raise valves 22, 22, in the chamber leading to the open air. These parts are so arranged that when the valve disk 20 is seated in the tube 18, thus closing the chamber from the passageway 12, the valves 22, 22, to the open air will be closed. When the disk 20 is raised and the valves 22 opened, then the tube 18 to the chamber will let atmospheric air into the passageway 12; which atmospheric air does not get into the tube 9, because its entrance to the chamber will be closed bythe disk 20.

Going backto the point where a can is placed on a holder: The step has been explained as to how the can is seized and held. When this has taken place, there is no vacuum in tube 9, as has been explained. The valve 20 is bound to be closed, then as a can is seized. But just after it is seized the tube 9 communicates with the vacuum. This will not raise the valve because the vacuum in the passageway 12, in the can-and in the tube held airtight, balances the vacuum in the tube 9 and the chamber 19. As soon as detailed, nor in any way any air, even a very small amount leaks into the can, this balance will be destroyed. The valve will rise, close oil the tube 9 and let air into the can holding parts. The can is thus released. Owing to the shape of the holders, the defective cans are bound to be carried to the top of the wheel. After passing this point, they will fall off if release has taken place. The usual leakage of such cans is small, and the wheel must not turn too rapidly. We find that all of the defective cans will have come off at about the point in the drawings where the chute 23 is shown, upon a moderate rotation of the wheel. The defectives are then conducted away from the machine by this chute.

t can now be seen that a sure test and a delicate test can be applied to the cans y the machine. All use of unhygienic water tests is done away with. The vacuum may be made very powerful without destroying the effectiveness of the machine. A very sli ht inequality in pressure in the secondary an primary tubes will work the releasing valve. In this way we accomplish strength without loss of sensitiveness. It is also plain that constant attention of an operator is not required, and that a wide range in size of cans may be tested without the slightest alteration except of the head 24. So long as the rubber contact piece is large enough and the passageway 12 is not so high as not to communicate with the inside of a can held on the holder, the machine will work perfectly. This is because the attachment of the cans to the machine is accomplished by the vacuum.

In mentioning certain shapes of tubes, materials of parts and so on, it has not been desired to limit ourselves to the specific uses by specific uses to limit the scope of the claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A tester for cans and the like, comprising a revoluble can receiving member, and a stationary member on which the revoluble member abuts, means for putting the stationary member under reduced pressure, a series of radial tubes on the revolving member communicating at the outer end with cans to be tested, and at the inner end opening against the stationary member, and a slot at one point in the stationary member, located so as to communicate with the inner ends of the radial tubes, said slot being of a size to communicate with the said tubes at one position only of the revolving member, and means for holding the cans against the outer ends of the tubes at this position,

member is journaled, means for putting the stationary member under reduced pressure, a series of radial tubes on the revolving member communicating at the outer end with cans to be tested, and at the inner end opening against the stationary member, and a slot at one point in the stationary member, located so as to communicate with the inner ends of the radial tubes, said slot being of a size to communicate with the said tubes at one position only of the revolving member, and means for holding the cans against the outer ends of the tubes at this position, for the purpose described.

3. A tester for leakage in cans and the like, comprising a revolving can receiving member, a member under suction on which it revolves, means for putting said member under suction, openings therein, a passageway in the receiving member registering with one of the openings to apply initial suction to the cans, a valve in said member, and a passageway from the valve registering with another opening in the suction member, for the purpose described.

4. A tester for leakage in cans and the like, comprising a cylindrical vacuum box, a Wheel, having a rim adapted to receive the cans, and a hub adapted to revolve on the box, radial tubes running through the hub, out, and through the rim, the box having openings to register with the tubes positioned so as to apply suction to the cans when received on the rim, and means for releasing the suction upon leakage of air into the cans, for the purpose described.

5. A tester for leakage in cans and the like, comprising a cylindrical vacuum box, a wheel, having a rim adapted to receive the cans, and a hub adapted to revolve on the box, primary radial tubes running through the hub, out and through the rim, secondary tubes running through the hub and communicating with the primary tubes, a valve at the point of communication, and means controlled by'said Valve for admitting atmosphere to the primary tubes, upon slight inequalities of suction between the two tubes.

6. A tester for leakage in cans and the like, comprising a cylindrical vacuum box, a wheel, having a rim adapted to receive the cans, and a hub adapted to revolve on the box, primary radial tubes running through the hub, out and through the rim, secondary tubes running through the hub and communicating with the primary tubes, a valve chamber at the point of communication and a valve disk operating in said chamber adapted to seat in either tube, and valves controlled by said disk for admitting the atmosphere to the chamber when said disk is raised from its seat in the primary tube, upon slight inequalities of suction between the tubes.

7. A holding and releasing device for automatic can testers, comprising a passage way to the can receiver through which suction is applied to the can to hold it on the receiver, a primary tube for suction on the can, connections therefrom to the passage way, a secondary tube under partial vacuum substantially equal to that in the primary tube, connections therefrom to a valve chamber, a valve chamber, connection from the valve chamber to the passageway, a valve in said chamber adapted to seat in either connection therefrom, and valves to the atmosphere controlled by said two-way valve positioned to open when the latter valve is off of its seat in the passageway.

8. A holding and releasing device for automatic can testers comprising a source of suction to hold the can, a secondary source of suction, a valve balanced between the two sources, and means controlled by said valve for admitting atmosphere to the holding source upon inequality arisingbetween the sources.

9. A tester for leakage in cans and the like, comprising a can receiving member, a source of suction for retaining cans on the receiving member, means for maintaining and for automatically releasing said suction at a given point, and a valve between the atmosphere and the source of suction and means for releasing said valve upon leakage of air into the can.

10. A tester for leakage in cans and the like, comprising a can receiving member, a source of suction for retaining cans on the receiving member, means for retaining and automatically releasing said suction at a given point, a secondary source of suction, a valve closing the two sources of suction from each other, and means on the valve to admit atmosphere to the can holding suction, when leakage into the can destroys the balance between the suctions.

11. A tester for leakage in cans and the like, comprising a revolving can receiving member, a pressing member having a rounded surface and adjustable to press a can of any desired size against the face of the receiving member, means for retaining cans on the receiving member by suction and means for releasing the suction upon leakage of air into the cans.

JAMES W. VORIS. CLYDE E. HOVER.

Attest:

OLIVER W. SHARMAN, HELEN A. AICHHOLZ. 

